Night Stalkers Challenges!
by Firesong The Fluffy
Summary: Welcome to the wonderful world of Night Stalkers challenges! I will be updating about once a month (maybe longer if busy), so I hope you like it! Rated T for Warriors


**Hello! This is my first challenge, so don't expect me to do too well. I have like, nothing else to say, so let the story begin!**

 **Disclaimer - I DO NOT OWN WARRIORS.**

"Can we go now?"

Snowpaw's claws gripped onto the cold leaf-bare ice. Her mentor, Deertail, had just taken her out on a hunting assessment. They had just finished, and they decided to play on a little patch of ice.

Deertail's head swung toward the direction of the LeafClan camp. "Okay." The two she-cats made their way off the ice, then started walking away.

Snowpaw breathed in her mentor's sweet scent as they trotted to the camp. She stopped. Deertail looked back at her. "What?" The apprentice shrugged. "It's nothing," she replied. "except for the fact that I'm going to beat you!"

Snowpaw pelted away, her mentor's eyes wide with surprise. "It's on!" Deertail raced after her, catching up quickly. They burst through the camp entrance, panting and wheezing.

* * *

"Whew!" Snowpaw gasped. " That was fun!" Deertail flopped down. " Hey," she panted. " I beat you!" Her mentor got up, shaking snow off her fur. "I'm going to get some rest." She started toward the warriors den. "You should get some too," she added.

Snowpaw watched as her mentor padded away. She, on the other hand, decided to get something to eat. She padded toward the fresh-kill pile and took a plump squirrel. As Snowpaw headed back to the apprentices den her friend, Pinepaw, trotted over to her.

"You're not going to eat all of it by yourself, are you?" He winked. "Could we share?" Snowpaw couldn't believe her ears. He, the handsomest apprentice, asking her, of all cats! "Yes!" she exclaimed, eyes twinkling. They sat down under a swaying willow tree and proceeded to eat.

"So," Snowpaw asked. "How do you like being an apprentice?" Pinepaw nodded. "It's okay."

Not a great conversation starter. "Do you like your mentor?" _Fox dung!_ He had one of the nicest cats in the Clan as his mentor!

"Actually, no." Snowpaw's eyes widened. "What? But he's so nice!" she exclaimed. Pinepaw shrugged. "He's just to nice on me. I wish he wouldn't be so gentle. I want him to fight with me!" His claws sprang out as he leapt into the air, barely missing a startled Snowpaw.

"Whoops, sorry." He sat back down, sheathing his long claws. "Anyways," he asked. "How do you like your mentor?" Snowpaw smiled. "Well, we always have fun together. In battle training we always have mock fights, and after assessments we usually go and play."

Pinepaw smiled. "I only wish to become a strong warrior, so I can impress the she-cat I like." Snowpaw nodded. "Who do you like, anyways?"

The brown apprentice seemed to have drifted off into his own world. "Well, she's really kind, she's loyal, and she's the prettiest cat I've ever met." Snowpaw's high spirits crashed to the ground. He was surely talking about her beautiful sister, Goldenpaw.

Pinepaw seemed to have sensed she was troubled, and put his tail on her shoulder. He smiled. "I love you, Snowpaw. I love you." And they sat there until the sun dipped below the grass, tails entwined.

* * *

"Snowpaw, wake up!" Deertail's voice rang through the clearing. Snowpaw bounded over to her mentor, spirits high. Ever since Pinepaw had told her that he liked her, she had felt as if nothing could stop her from feeling happy.

Deertail smiled. "Seems like you're very joyful today. Why?" Snowpaw giggled. "I guess you'll have to figure it out." With that, she raced away to the training area. "Race you!"

This time, Snowpaw wasn't going to let Deertail win. She put on a burst if speed and raced away from her mentor. _There it is!_ She looked behind her and Deertail was far away from her, meaning Snowpaw had a chance of winning!

When she turned her head she there! "Hey, Deertail," Snowpaw panted. "I won!" Everything was going great for Snowpaw. Pinepaw liked her, she had passed her assessment yesterday, and now, she finally beat Deertail, one of the fastest runners in the Clan.

Just then, her non-crushable spirits got flattened.

 _Pinepaw... how could you do this to me?_ There he was, tails entwined with Goldenpaw.

Not entwined with hers, but with Goldenpaw.

Pinepaw noticed her, standing behind them. "Snowpaw! I promise, it's not what it looks like!" Snowpaw lashed her white tail. "Oh, really?" she asked. "Because it looks like you've got yourself a mate."

She pushed away a flood of tears and ran away, into the dark woods, leaving LeafClan.

"Snowpaw!" Pinepaw's gasp meant nothing to her. Not anymore.

* * *

...A few days later...

"Snowpaw! Snowpaw!" LeafClan's leader, Whitestar, had sent out a patrol of cats to go look for her. The search patrol consisted of Deertail, her mother Willowfire, and Goldenpaw. She curled up in the little makeshift nest she had lived in for the past few days.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the bushes beside her. It was Goldenpaw! "Hello, Snowpaw," she sneered. "Where were you these last few days?" She didn't wait for Snowpaw to answer. "I know! You were hiding, and let me tell you something."

Goldenpaw pinned her sister to the ground, claws digging hard into Snowpaw's shoulders "Pinepaw never loved you, Snowpaw," she said, softly. "He always loved me, and that's the way it will be for the rest of your pathetic little life!"

Next thing Snowpaw knew, a claw slashed on her face and blood was pouring, pouring fast. But now, she didn't care. She would never be tricked into loving, never again.

Goldenpaw scratched her flank, and Snowpaw stared at her, wondering why she would do that.

Just then, Deertail and Willowfire burst through the bushes.

"Help!" Goldenpaw cried. "I found her here, and I tried to save her. We were attacked by rogues! Well, she's still alive, but we must bring her to the medicine den!" Goldenpaw put a paw on Snowpaw's bloody fur.

"You're right, Goldenpaw!" Willowfire exclaimed. With that, Deertail and Willowbreeze heaved Snowpaw onto their backs and raced toward camp.

* * *

"Snowpaw?" Murmurs arose through the Clan as Willowfire and Deertail hauled Snowpaw to the medicine den. "Snowpaw!" The yowl of the LeafClan medicine cat, Icybreeze, rang in her ears. "Come, give her to me." Icybreeze murmured.

The injured apprentice got to her paws and limped into the den. Willowfire poked her head through the entrance, but Icybreeze waved her off. "No one is to enter yet." The medicine cat retrieved a few herbs, then padded back to Snowpaw.

"So," she asked. "How are you feeling?" Snowpaw shrugged. "Fine." Icybreeze looked shocked. "Fine? You've been out there all by yourself, and you feel fine?" She started chewing a pulp. "Well, yeah." The LeafClan medicine cat applies a few poultices to Snowpaw's injuries.

"Wow, so many injuries! Did a rogue attack you or something?" Snowpaw nodded. Icybreeze gave her a few poppy seeds. "Why did you leave, anyways?" The little apprentice scowled. "None of your business."

Icybreeze raised her eyebrows. ( **A/N : I don't think cats have eyebrows, but let's just go with that.** ). "Are you really going to talk to me that way?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Snowpaw sighed and layed down on her side, burrowing her head into her paws.

Just then, Pinepaw raced into camp, headed straight towards the medicine den. "Snowpaw!" he gasped. He looked at the medicine cat. "A little alone time, please." Icybreeze nodded, then headed out.

"Snowpaw, I'm so sorry!" he cried. "I promise, it wasn't what it looked like, I hope -" Snowpaw waved her tail. "I'm fine," she snarled. "You can be with Goldenpaw."

Pinepaw started sobbing. "No, please, I want to be with you!" Snowpaw growled. "I told you, I'm fine." With that, she got up and limped away.

Pinepaw looked at Snowpaw, who looked back. "Go," she said. "Go to Goldenpaw."

* * *

Willowfire pushed the mouse toward Snowpaw. "Come on, you haven't eaten yet!" The apprentice pushed it away. "I told you, I'm not hungry." Snowpaw's mother sighed and padded to her mate, Foxtail.

"She still isn't eating," she murmured. "Just give her some time," Foxtail said. Snowpaw watched as the two entwined their tails, just as she and Pinepaw had. Deep within her, she felt a slight pang of envy, but she shook it away. _I don't care about it anymore._

Deertail padded over to her. "Are you okay, Snowpaw? You seem down." Deertail curled her tail around Snowpaw, but the little apprentice shook her off.

"I'm fine!" Snowpaw snapped. She wasn't going to be fooled into caring again.

Deertail looked surprised. "I'll just go, I guess," she murmured, then headed toward the fresh-kill pile.

Whitestar approached the troubled young she-cat. "Hello, Snowpaw." he said. "I was wondering if you were all right." Snowpaw just shrugged. "I'm fine, I guess."

The white leader raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure?" he asked, just like Icybreeze had. Snowpaw nodded. "Well, then," Whitestar said. "Icybreeze wants you."

She headed to the medicine den for her daily herbs. Icybreeze motioned for her to sit down. "We need to talk. Me and Whitestar have been observing your behavior. Even if you say you're okay doesn't mean you are actually okay. Now, tell me, what really happened?"

Snowpaw waved her tail. "Nothing," she mumbled. " _What happened?"_ Icybreeze asked sternly. Snowpaw glared at her. "I told you, nothing."

Icybreeze lost her temper. "Well, you know what?" she yowled. "I'm sick and tired of you acting like this! I'm sick and tired of having to care for such an emotionless apprentice. I'm sick and tired of everything!"

Snowpaw realized, with a jolt, of what a nuisance she'd been. She had only made things worse! She felt little tears brimming in her eyelids. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Icybreeze nodded slowly. "Ok, now can you tell me what happened?"

Snowpaw drew in a deep breath. "Well, ever since Pinepaw told me that he liked me, I felt amazing. I felt like - I felt like nothing could stop me from being happy.

"Then, the next day, my spirits were crushed when I saw Pinepaw with Goldenpaw. I ran away, mainly because I couldn't bear to live with it. I cleared all my feelings, so I could live without that pain.

"Also, you know those scratches I got?" Icybreeze stared at her wounds, and Snowpaw nodded.

Icybreeze's eyes were wide. "They were from when Goldenpaw found me. She had-" Snowpaw started sniffling as she broke off. "When we were kits, we were really close. Now, I- I don't know what happened to her. It's like an evil force overtook her or something."

The LeafClan medicine cat gasped, and Snowpaw looked confused. "Snowpaw, it's time I told you something." She looked around, then continued. "Not all cats go to StarClan. Those cats have done very bad things in life, and so they go to something called the Dark Forest."

"There are cats who train with them, who want revenge for what happened to them in real life. So the Dark Forest tricks them, and those tricked cats think that they will become great warriors." Snowpaw sobbed into the medicine cat's soft white fur.

Icybreeze touched her tail-tip to Snowpaw's shoulder. "There, there, young one," she murmured, stroking the apprentice calmly.

"It's all my fault!" Snowpaw sobbed. "Oh, Icybreeze, what do I do?"

The LeafClan medicine cat straightened. "Well, first, I want you to talk to Goldenpaw. She actually still loves you, you know." Snowpaw nodded, dried her tears, and ran out of the den.

Goldenpaw had just returned from a hunting patrol and was dropping a blackbird onto the fresh-kill pile. Snowpaw rushed toward her sister.

"Goldenpaw?" the white apprentice asked. Goldenpaw nodded. "What is it?" Snowpaw gestured to a shady corner in the camp. "I'd like to speak in private."

Snowpaw and Goldenpaw made their way to the shade. "I know what you do," Snowpaw said quietly. Goldenpaw gasped. "How do you know?" she asked.

"Icybreeze told me about it," Snowpaw responded. "She didn't tell me that you were training with the Dark Forest, but I figured it out."

Goldenpaw put her head in her paws, but she didn't respond, so Snowpaw continued. "Why are you jealous?" she asked. "What do I have that you don't? I've always envied your beautiful, bright fur, and your gorgeous amber eyes."

Goldenpaw had tears brimming in her eyes. "I've always been jealous of you!" she burst out, sobbing. "You're so nice, and you're so pretty, and Pinepaw likes you!"

Goldenpaw sobbed into Snowpaw's white fur. "I didn't mean to hurt you," she whispered. "But they made me. I'm so, so, sorry!"

Snowpaw dried her sister's tears. "So, we're friends again?" she asked. Goldenpaw smiled. "Always."

* * *

Icybreeze smiled at Snowpaw and Goldenpaw as they entered the medicine den. "So, all is solved?" she asked the sisters. "Well," Snowpaw said. "Almost."

She raced out of the den and into the clearing, Goldenpaw tailing her.

"Pinepaw!" the snowy apprentice called. The leaved rustled at the camp entrance and the dark brown apprentice sped to Snowpaw. "What is it?" he asked.

"Pinepaw," Snowpaw said, quivering a bit, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for blowing you off, sorry for not giving you a chance, I'm sorry for everything."

Pinepaw looked at her. "Snowpaw, I'm sorry as well. I was so foolish, being with Goldenpaw. She had tried to coax me to mate with her," - Goldenpaw smiled sheepishly - "but I couldn't. I can't be with her, only you."

Snowpaw's eyes filled with tears of joy. "So, we can be mates?" she asked. "Of course!" he responded. "Well, we have to wait till we're older, but when the time comes, I'll know that you're the one."

The two apprentices smiled at each other, tails entwined, facing the sunset. Nothing could go wrong now, not even with all the Dark Forest causing havoc everywhere.

Things were right, at last.

 **So, how'd you like it? Please R &R, thanks!**

 **Note - This is an updated version of the original, so ya.**

 **~ Moonlight Shining On Ice**


End file.
